Who Are You?:
We chat to Emerson Snowe

01 Nov 2018

Within the pages of our print and online magazine lies a section of great importance. Titled ‘Who Are You?’, we stick our ear to the ground and introduce you to the sounds that are making people whisper up and down the country. Hopefully, some time in the near future, they’ll become the regulars on your Radio Stations, Spotify lists and gig listings! The section only allows for a couple of questions to be printed, so today we bring you the full introduction to one of our favourite new artists. In Issue Seventeen we sent over the basics to Emerson Snowe. Find the key details below.

Can you tell us who you are, where you’re from and about the music you make?

My name is Jazz, but I perform under the moniker Emerson Snowe. I grew up in a small town in Australia called Townsville. I moved to Brisbane when I was seventeen. The project has had a heap of incarnations — as I’ve grown, the music has grown and changed as I have.

What’s special about where you’re from? Has it inspired your music?

I lost myself a little bit when I moved to Brisbane — as you do getting a bit older you start learning about your body and your mind. I stopped drinking alcohol 2 years ago and as soon as I did I found that I started writing music more for myself rather than writing for something else. There’s no structure to it — rather I’ll sit down, play the first thing that comes to my head on my nylon and record it, then I sing whatever comes first to my head. I try to keep it super super simple. But in terms of where I grew up, I wanted to feel that excitement of just making music and art, not worrying about having a plan.

What led you to form a band?

I don’t have a live band, the current set up is myself with a thirty minute set recorded onto a tape that I play in a cassette player and basically karaoke the vocals over the top. I like the idea of doing certain shows with a live band. I think it is something that can be special, but right now I’m happy just going it solo. Inspirations were definitely Daniel Johnston and Ariel Pink. I like to think that if there was a line with both of them at either ends, I’d like to be somewhere in between.

Can you tell us something that you really love?

As I’m writing this I’m in Paris with my girlfriend in an Air BnB. I’ve been here for about 3 weeks and I feel really good about it. I’ve basically just been loving reading again and walking around.

Emerson Snowe will play our The Greast Escape First Fifty show at The Macbeth on November 27th. Tickets here.